Pollard, LaTaunya
Basketball
b. July 26, 1960, E. Chicago, IN
d. Jan. 22, 1993
Pollard led East Chicago Roosevelt High School to a 92-2 record and two state championships, winning a scholarship to Long Beach State.
She won the Wade Trophy as the female college player of the year in 1983 after leading the nation with 29.3 points per game. A 5-foot-9 guard, she scored 907 points on 376 field goals and 155 free throws in 31 games, and she also averaged 8.9 rebounds a game. During her four years as a starter for Long Beach State, Pollard had 2,913 points, second highest in history.
She was selected for the 1980 Olympic team that didn't play because the U. S. boycotted the Moscow Games. After graduating in 1983, Pollard played in an Italian league for one season. She damaged cartilage in her right knee during the 1984 Olympic trials and had to go undergo surgery, ending her career.